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  • Getting ready for the scrapper

    Grandpa's '60 hardtop is probably going to the scrapper this week. I'm thinking I've picked the thing pretty clean, but there are a couple bits that are still on the car that I had questions or second guesses about whether or not to bother salvaging them. I laid out a list below with my thoughts on what to do with these items, but all input is appreciated. The rest of the car is completely picked to the bone.

    1. Motor - It's a stuck flathead 6 with a few parts missing. I'm thinking that it's worth more to the scrapyard than the effort it would take to pull it. I'm wondering if there are any easy to pull parts that I should keep though (distributor, carb, generator, etc...)

    2. Transmission - Being a 6 cyl. car, it's probably got the light duty transmission in it. Standard shift. No overdrive. I'm thinking again that it might be worth more to the scrap yard.

    3. Driveshaft/rear axle - Having taken a closer look, it turns out that I have a 3.73 Dana 27. It's pretty greasy on the outside, but still full of fluid strangely, and I've never filled it since it came into my posession. My thoughts are that the rear axle isn't worth the bother, but maybe there are some parts from the brakes I could keep as spares for the sedan project, and the driveshaft might be of value, if not to me than to someone else.

    4. Wheels - Stock Stude non-disc brake wheels. Tires hold air. Rims seem decent but could use a paint job. Not sure that there's a market for them, plus having them on will make it easier for the wrecker to load the car.

    5. Hardtop doors - They have rust-through at the bottom of the outer skins, but they are hardtop doors. Not sure if anyone would want them or not. Hinge screws are pretty rusted on, and I'd be tempted not to bother saving them for the trouble.

    6. Anything else? - I'm not a mechanic, and I've only had a running Stude for a few months. Are there any important parts that I or someone else may need that could be forgotton while stripping a car to be scrapped? I don't have a recent set of photos showcasing the current condition, but I'll try to snap a few later today.

    Again, I'd love input on my list. I really hate to let go of this car. It was Grandpa's pride and joy. The build sheet says that it's lived here in town all it's life, which makes sense as I think my grandpa bought it when it was only a couple years old. Seeing it go to become part of a factory in China kills me. I'd give the thing away if someone wanted to take a go at restoring it, but the fact is that it's too far gone to really be desirable to anyone besides the scrap dealer.
    '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

    "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

  • #2
    I just spoke with the landlord for our garages. Our lease on the garage this car is in was up this month, and she took it upon herself to find a new tenant to take over on August 1. So it looks like I have about 2 weeks to get the last parts off, and then this journey comes to an end.
    '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

    "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

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    • #3
      Jim:

      1. If you have access to a torch, cut the door hinges and save the doors.

      2. Keep all the engine accessories (starter, generator, distributor, water and fuel pumps, carburetor, etc.)

      3. Keep the wheels if they are that good.

      4. Keep the brake parts off the rear axle, including the backing plates. Try to keep the rear axle shafts, especially if the threads are good on the ends.

      5. It might be difficult for you, but try to keep the king pins. They'll likely never be reproduced, cores are drying up, and they are needed to be rebuilt. If you have that torch, cut the front coil springs in several places to relieve what little tension they have, so you can dismantle the front end and keep the king pins without endangering yourself.

      See what others have to say, here, too.

      I know that car was important to you, with your relationship to your Grandpa. Best wishes as you must reluctantly let it go. BP

      Comment


      • #4
        I have a 60 Lark HT that I'm restoring that is mostly rust-free - mostly. I have rust in the roof above the passenger door in the roof panel itself and the underlying structure above the door. I also have crash damage to the front section of the roof on the same side (original owner hit a motorcycle that flipped over the fender into the roof!). I've been looking for a solution to these problems for years. Would it be feasable to cut a section of the roof on your hardtop 4-6" wide going from the windshield to the rear of the passenger door and to ship it (probably by Greyhound)? Or is this somehting that's just a liitle too crazy to try to do?
        Scott Rodgers
        Los Angeles
        SDC Member since 1989
        \'60 Lark HT
        \'63 Wagonaire
        \'66 Frankenbaker

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        • #5
          Scott,

          Would it be easier to just swap the whole roof? My roof had a little dent that should hammer out fairly easily, but is otherwise in good shape.

          Bob,

          I don't have a cutting torch, but I know a guy in Lincoln who wants a couple bits of my car. If he has one I'll encourage him to haul it up with him.

          From about the tops of the wheel wells up, this car is very solid. Below that, not so much.
          '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

          "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

          Comment


          • #6
            how is the glass?
            1960 Lark VIII Regal Wagon

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            • #7
              Originally posted by cultural infidel View Post
              how is the glass?
              Pristine. About 7 or 8 months before grandpa passed away, the car was stolen. The thieves final act was to bust out all the glass. When it was recovered, grandpa bought all new glass and had it installed. Literally the week the glass went in he was diagnosed with end stage lung cancer and given less than 6 months to live. He deteriorated so quickly that he never got to drive it again after the theft, though he said many times that he wanted to. I always hoped it could be fixed up for that last drive that never happened, but it's just not happening.

              I'm not 100 percent sure what I'm keeping and what I'm selling yet. I still have a dream of finding a hardtop and I also have the sedan. I do have a second set of front and back glass that I could probably part with, but they are a bit more used than the ones that came from this car.
              Last edited by JimC; 07-17-2012, 01:56 PM.
              '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

              "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

              Comment


              • #8
                It might be easier to swap the whole roof in some ways but I would probably use the requested piece to make smaller patch panels and pieces that I would weld in one at a time - I don't want to compromise the integrity of the car by removing a hard top roof - it might be the biggest mistake I've ever made. Besides, most of the roof is gone! The center has been cut out for a ragtop sliding sunroof - I'm mostly working at the margins to eliminate rust and damage problems in a few key areas.
                Scott Rodgers
                Los Angeles
                SDC Member since 1989
                \'60 Lark HT
                \'63 Wagonaire
                \'66 Frankenbaker

                Comment


                • #9
                  We have had a 60 Lark Hardtop for approx 30 years - I would suggest you save the following hard top only items if you haven't already. Door window vent die cast, Stainless steel from above the doors (under the weatherseal), rear 1/4 windows. As mentioned king pins, A-frames (always nice to have a set cleaned and ready to go with new bushings) bell crank.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Cowtown Commander View Post
                    We have had a 60 Lark Hardtop for approx 30 years - I would suggest you save the following hard top only items if you haven't already. Door window vent die cast, Stainless steel from above the doors (under the weatherseal), rear 1/4 windows. As mentioned king pins, A-frames (always nice to have a set cleaned and ready to go with new bushings) bell crank.
                    Don't forget the window regulators; the rear ones especially, if they're working right!

                    Craig

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by 8E45E View Post
                      Don't forget the window regulators; the rear ones especially, if they're working right! Craig
                      Excellent, Craig; thanks for the reminder. BP

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